Life Of A Bitch

33

"There is no one in the backseat!" I yell at Brenna. This girl is pissing me off so much I think I'll burst at any moment.

"I swear I see three pairs of glowing red eyes in the back," she whimpers, making a sharp left turn which makes me go cold.

"Drive properly," I say, trying to calm myself. Turning back, I try to find out what she's talking about. "And those things are not eyes. They're glow-in-the-dark stickers- to uh, make sure you find your seat? Who glues such things to their car-seats?"

"My grandma did," she says, rubbing her nose. "She thinks I am nearly blind, just because I wear specs."

"Then if you know about them, why is it freaking you out?"

She stares at me for a second, as if I said something stupid. "I watched a horror movie. Everything is freaking me out."

"Ugh." I groan and lean back against my seat. "When are we getting there?"

"A minute," she says and then nervously looks back again. "Jennifer, is there a doll on the back-seat?"

Save me, someone.

*

The car stops in front of a seventeen-storey building, which looks like it has been recently painted. There were trees all around the building and a huge granite plate attached to the top of the structure read 'Midtown Max'. I scan the whole place and look at Brenna. "Michelle lives in an apartment?"

"Yeah. Why?" She asks, driving inside into the parking lot.

"How many people has she invited?"

"No idea."

I deadpan to her. "Wow. You're the best friend."

"Yeah," she chuckles drily. "Surprising, ain't it?"

I stare at her for a moment, trying to decipher what she meant but then give up. "No, I was saying, if she invited all the cool-gang members, the cheer team, the jocks and the student body people, would there be enough space?"

"Who cares?" She snorts, turning off the engine. "All I know is that she didn't invite her core gang. Now that she's become popular, all she cares about is the fake and plastic popular people- people like you."

I flinch at her statement, but keep quiet. She's not wrong.

I turn to my right to open the door when she grasps my arm. "Not now, we don't want to seem overeager."

"We're an hour behind schedule."

"Exactly. Let another ten minutes pass."

Hell.

*

After twenty minutes of 'Guess the Pokemon', we're finally outside Callaghan's door, with Brenna ringing the bell. The corridors are very spacious and clean, looking like they were whitewashed recently. Everything looks new.

I could hear the music blasting from the ground floor. Excited voices waft out from inside the door followed by sudden shouts and yelling.

"Who rings a bell before entering a party?" I question her. "Obviously no one would hear it."

I turn the doorknob and as usual, the door is open. I raise an eyebrow at Brenna and enter.

It's just eight, and yet everyone is already acting crazy. There are people on the couch, watching the highlights of a game held last week; there are people in the kitchen pourings cups of what I think is some kind of punch; and there is this section at the dining table which is filled with couples: some kissing, some whispering to each other, some cuddling, some fighting, and some sleeping.